Published: Wednesday, September 11, 2013 at 04:47 PM.

"I've never heard them say, 'Why us?' or 'Why David?'" he said. "He sets a fantastic example for his family. It has been amazing the strength Sharon has shown throughout this. It's very inspiring. It puts our lives - folks like me who are incredibly blessed - in perspective. He inspires me to be a better person. It's easy to talk the talk but he walks the walk in the most difficult situation. David has remained upbeat and a positive influence to me, the people who help with the fundraiser and his family."

Want to help?

The David Wilson Rollin' & Rockin' "Pass The Gift" Fundraiser will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 at Cleveland Country Club, 1360 E. Marion St., Shelby.

The golf tournament is from 1-5 p.m. From 5:30-7 p.m., a silent auction and entertainment by local musicians will be held on the Country Club deck. Admission for the auction and entertainment is $25 per person and free for golfers.

Awards, door prizes and silent auction results will be announced from 7-8 p.m., and bands will entertain until 11 p.m. Music will be provided by GIRL Interrupted, The Low Down, PondeR! and The Paris Thieves.

Sharon Wilson adjusts the computer screen in front of her husband David's face and gently pats his arm while they wait for the machine to reboot.

David, 44, was diagnosed with ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2008. In five years, he has lost the ability to move the muscles in his body. A ventilator breathes for him.

He can feel, see and hear, but he can't talk. He communicates by using his eyes or his bottom lip to select letters or phrases on the computer screen. A musician since he was in junior high school, David continues the hobby by writing songs with a program that Sharon bought him for Christmas. The communication devices also help him work in real estate with his associate, Sandy Champion. The disease may have stolen his muscles, but his mind is sharp.

"ALS does not discriminate; it is as random as a roulette wheel," David wrote with his communication device. To use the machine, he painstakingly selects each letter by gazing at it with his eyes. Like texting, the program automatically fills in some common words.

"(ALS) attacks like termites in wet pine," he continued. "Once they start, they eat until they run out of good wood, where with ALS, muscle is pine. All the other systems work, but the structure is shot. It is an evil disease that steals your body slowly and relentlessly."

'They are all so loving'

While Sharon works with the computer, the couple's 14-year-old daughter Gracie stands beside her father, lightly tapping his arm. Katie, 12, said her Dad is witty and supportive. "He's a good Dad," she said.

The simple gestures and words speak volumes about the love in this home, which is a reflection of the love they receive from extended family. It's a love that David's nurse, Angie Hill, has experienced daily since coming to work for the Wilsons in April 2012.

"They are all so loving," Hill said, her voice cracking with emotion. "This family is so willing to come out here and take care of David. They are really close and they try to make it as easy as possible for Sharon and the girls. His mom, dad and grandmother come every day to help. This is a blessed family."

Sharon, who teaches at Crest Middle School, said the whole family helps her get the girls to afterschool activities and helps with David.

"We are blessed, life is normal - a different normal," she said. "We are fortunate that we have a close family and it's brought a lot of people in."

Here David interrupted by typing on his screen, "It takes a village, or a small metropolitan area."

"Different people pick up with different things," Sharon continued. "David's dad comes by to get him up every morning. His mom helps cart children around. Stepmothers, stepfathers help. It takes a lot of help."

'Passing the gift'

Because they are blessed by family and friends, David came up with the idea three years ago to share his blessings with others by sponsoring the David Wilson Rollin’ & Rockin’ “Pass the Gift” Fundraiser. The first year of the event proceeds went only to the Wilsons, but every year since then, proceeds are shared with other individuals who are dealing with devastating loss or traumatic health issues.

This year David shares the proceeds with the three children of Bethany Johnson Preston, Wilson’s nurse, who recently passed away from cancer. Money raised from the event will go to a college fund the family has established for the children, who range in age from 3 to 13.

"The fundraiser is therapy for all of us in different ways," David communicated. "For me it makes me feel like more than a bystander. I try to concentrate on making the event successful for the recipient, and let my friends concentrate on me. Initially my pride was in control. Taking charity was equal to failure, so passing the gift was a get out of jail free card for my ego."

But his attitude changed when a past recipient, Alan Biggerstaff, and Preston, passed away, he said.

"All of the sudden it became clear to me that my message was more than a nice Sunday school story," David said. "I want my kids to know that fulfillment is a two-way street."

Taking the next step

So the next step, David said, is to pass the gift again by establishing the Alan Biggerstaff Local Musician Award.

"I asked Alan's family to think of a local musician facing a life struggle who could use some help and recognition," he said. "We all agreed Art Mauney was that guy. Art has spent his entire life playing and working in local music. He is an amazing bassist."

Mauney assisted with lifesaving CPR when another friend had a heart attack. While Art was helping someone else, his own heart was only working at 50 percent efficiency.

"Lately Art's battle with heart disease has sidelined his ability to play music, which is something Alan knew about and I know too well," David said. "After major open heart surgery a few months ago, Art is working his way back in the saddle, but fatigue is chronic. The award is monetary but I hope Art's friends will come out and support him. We have the bands doing a special Aerosmith melody in honor of Art's favorite band."

Commanding an army

David can't lift his little finger, but from the wheelchair in his living room, he commands an army of 25 to 40 volunteers who handle all the details of the fundraiser.

"David is the visionary behind it and my job is to make things happen," Sharon said. "We have a whole lot of friends and family who said, 'OK.' David has big dreams and he keeps saying, 'Don't dream small, dream big.'"

People who have been part of their lives at different times come together to make the fundraiser successful.

"It's humbling. There's no doubt about it. We are speechless as far as the gift," Sharon said. "We have childhood friends, high school friends, business associates, church family, Realtors. It's great to feel that support. It's hard to go through this, but everyone should be able to feel that love at some point."

Helping Sharon coordinate different aspects of the fundraiser are her sister and brother-in-law, Phil and Sandy Champion; David's brother and sister-in-law, Jimmy and Melissa Wilson; and David's friends, Chuck and Amy Hamilton.

David and his family are an inspiration to everyone, Chuck Hamilton said.

"I've never heard them say, 'Why us?' or 'Why David?'" he said. "He sets a fantastic example for his family. It has been amazing the strength Sharon has shown throughout this. It's very inspiring. It puts our lives - folks like me who are incredibly blessed - in perspective. He inspires me to be a better person. It's easy to talk the talk but he walks the walk in the most difficult situation. David has remained upbeat and a positive influence to me, the people who help with the fundraiser and his family."

Want to help?

The David Wilson Rollin' & Rockin' "Pass The Gift" Fundraiser will be from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 at Cleveland Country Club, 1360 E. Marion St., Shelby.

The golf tournament is from 1-5 p.m. From 5:30-7 p.m., a silent auction and entertainment by local musicians will be held on the Country Club deck. Admission for the auction and entertainment is $25 per person and free for golfers.

Awards, door prizes and silent auction results will be announced from 7-8 p.m., and bands will entertain until 11 p.m. Music will be provided by GIRL Interrupted, The Low Down, PondeR! and The Paris Thieves.

For more information, visit http://rollinandrockinpassthegift.com/

Listen to David's music

David Wilson writes songs with a computer program. He selects the notes with the help of a computer screen and a small chip placed on his bottom lip. Find his music on You Tube, Dewlots.